Joyce Carol Oates: Letters to a Biographer

Joyce Carol Oates has joined the pantheon of gifted writers who are also prolific, such as Mark Twain, Charles Dickens and Stephen King. Those of us who are familiar with Oates’ gothic novels may be surprised to learn that she is equally productive as a playwright, poet, and correspondent. In this volume, this reader learned that Oates can be friendly, chatty, and amusing, unlike her very serious prose. Her work ethic, however, is still on display here as she details her travel, teaching and reading schedules.

Who among us would not like to be rewarded for these abilities by spending New Years Eve as a guest of Steve Martin, having a tete a tete with Mike Nichols, or sharing a lectern with Kurt Vonnegut. Most astoundingly, when her husband of forty-six years died in February, Oates was remarried in August. What a whirlwind life she leads. Her devotion to her beloved parents comes through in most every letter, as does her empathy for her correspondent who is also her biographer.

Most illuminating. This reader must get to work!